Thursday, October 10, 2013

Rabdosia longituba


At long, long last this beauty has bloomed. Rabdosia longituba is a plant I acquired from Ed Bowen at Opus Nursery two summers ago. I loved its quirky name, its bright foliage, and I was lured in by the promise of late purple flowers. Well, that first year I kept it in a pot for too long and in October I desperately stuck it in the garden. I was sure it would die. In the spring there was no sign of life for awhile, and then one little shoot appeared. In September this year it put out some delicate little dangling purple droplet buds! That alone was thrilling, until yesterday when I caught its little flickering flowers aglow in that low afternoon light.


6 comments:

  1. I bought this plant from Plant Delights this summer. It is blooming now, and is one of the loveliest plants I have ever seen. I put it in a garden in West Meade(a suburb of Nashville) where it gets morning sun. It is about 36 inches tall.. I found it easy to make cuttings from-

    Just an aside- I once lived in Woodstock, Vermont as a young woman. No state can compare with it, though Tennessee comes close !

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    1. Hi Betsy,
      Thanks for your comment and great to know that it is easy to propagate! I will try that in the spring. Those purple flowers continue to glow and seem to grow in intensity. Thanks for reading,
      Helen

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  2. So pretty... always gratifying to have something bloom after you have give up hope on it. :) Happy October, Helen!

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    1. Thanks Julie! I am wishing you well and enjoying your blog!

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  3. Beautiful collection of flowers

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